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homeComoros: http://www.arab.net/comoros/history/comoros_history.htmlThe archipelago of Comoros
near Mozambique in East Africa is composed of 4 islands
Anjouan, Moheli and Grande Comore and Mayotte. Anjouan, Moheli and
Grande Comore became independent in 1975 as the Union of Comoros,
while Mayotte stayed French. The capital of the union is Moroni on
the main island of Grand Comore.
(SFEC, 11/24/96, p.A14)(SFC, 9/12/97, p.A12)1886
Jan-1886 Jun, The ruler of Bambao unified Grande
Comore Island into the State of Ngazidja, with the local rulers
retaining their titles.
(www.worldstatesmen.org/Comoros.html)

1892 Jan 6, The local
sultanates of Grande Comore were suppressed.
(www.worldstatesmen.org/Comoros.html)

1912 Jul 25, The Comoros were
proclaimed to be French colonies.
(SC, 7/25/02)

1975 Jul 6, The state of
Comoros became independent with Ahmed Abdallah Abderemane
(1919-1989) as its first head of state. Three of the four islands
between Africa and Madagascar declared independence from France and
became the nation of Comoros. Mayotte voted to remain a colony.
(SFC, 9/12/97,
p.A12)(www.worldstatesmen.org/Comoros.html)

1989 Nov 26, In the Comoro
Islands Pres. Ahmed Abdallah was assassinated in his presidential
palace in Moroni. In 1999 Bob Denard (Gilbert Bourgeaud), a French
mercenary and head of the presidential guard, and Dominique
Malacrino were put on trial for the killing. Denard was acquitted.
(SFC, 5/6/99, p.A15)(SFC, 5/20/99,
p.A13)(www.reference.com/browse/wiki/Ahmed_Abdallah)

1995 Sep, Bob Denard, a French
mercenary soldier, and accomplices overthrew Comoran President
Mohammed Djohar, and put opposition leaders Mohammed Taki and
Said-Ali Kemal in power in the Indian Ocean state. The French army
intervened in October under bilateral accords with the Comoros
islands, a former French colony, and captured the mercenaries.
In 2006 Denard was found guilty for his part in the coup and given a
suspended five-year prison sentence. His 26 accomplices were found
guilty but were given suspended sentences or were not penalized.
(Reuters, 6/20/06)

1997 Aug 3, Anjouan Island
unilaterally declared independence from Comoros. It complained that
it was not receiving a fair share of export revenues mainly from the
sale of ylang-ylang flowers, used to make perfume.
(SFC, 8/10/01,
p.A18)(www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107423.html)

1997 Sep, Comoros government
troops under Pres. Mohamed Taki were routed on Anjouan and half of a
force of 300 were killed or captured by people who demanded to be
French again.
(SFC, 9/12/97, p.A12)

1997 Oct 27, In the Comoros the
island of Anjouan held a referendum to re-unite with France and
voters overwhelmingly approved the measure. France refused to accept
the results.
(SFC,10/28/97,
p.A10)(www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107423.html)

2001 Dec 23, The Union of
Comoros was saved by a new constitution which gave each island its
own president.
(Econ, 3/22/08,
p.55)(www.worldstatesmen.org/Comoros.html)

2004 Apr 26, Regional
presidents looked poised to win control of the federal parliament in
Comoros as preliminary election results were tallied. Each of the 3
main islands has its own president and legislature.
(AP, 4/26/04)

2006 Sep 9, The ship Moubarak
heading from Madagascar to the Comoros Islands sank in the Indian
Ocean this weekend in bad weather. Of the 76 people on board, 43
people were rescued after the boat sank. 33 people were missing.
(AP, 9/11/06)

2007 May 3, Forces loyal to the
outgoing president of the Comoros island of Anjouan took control of
a building housing federal offices in what one African Union
official called a coup.
(AFP, 5/4/07)

2007 Jun 1, At least one US
warship bombarded a remote, mountainous village in Somalia where
Islamic militants had set up a base. One target was said to be Fazul
Abdullah Muhammad (35), a citizen of the Comoro Islands. The next
day Puntland VP Hassan Dahir Mohamoud told The Associated Press that
his government's troops killed eight foreign Islamic militants and
five of them came from Britain, Eritrea, Sweden, the US and Yemen.
(AP, 6/2/07)(AP, 6/3/07)(Econ, 7/14/07, p.52)

2007 Jun 2, The Comoros and
Guinea joined the Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD) at a
summit of the nine-year-old African grouping in Libya, raising its
membership to 25 countries.
(AP, 6/2/07)

2007 Jul 14, The population of
the Comoro Islands was about 800,000.
(Econ, 7/14/07, p.52)

2007 Aug 13, A boat carrying
illegal immigrants capsized off France's Indian Ocean island of
Mayotte, killing at least 17 people, eight of them children. The
boat carrying 38 people was en route from the Comoros Islands about
125 miles to the northwest when it overturned while trying to evade
the French coast guard.
(AP, 8/14/07)

2007 Oct 10, The African Union
imposed sanctions on leaders of the rebellious Comoro island of
Anjouan in a bid to coerce them into holding fresh elections.
(AFP, 10/11/07)

2008 Feb 19, The African Union
extended by two months sanctions slapped on the rebellious Comoran
isle of Anjouan in the Indian Ocean.
(AFP, 2/19/08)

2008 Mar 10, African Union
troops arrived in the Comoros before launching a military offensive
against the island of Anjouan and its rebellious leader.
(AFP, 3/10/08)

2008 Mar 16, Comoran soldiers
encountered a "disorganized" resistance from rebel forces in Anjouan
and "the confrontation that followed led to the deaths of dozens of
rebel forces. The next day Lieutenant Colonel Mohamed Amiri Salimou
said the National Development Army (AND) army had carried out two
"successful" operations against forces loyal to Mohamed Bacar's
forces on March 9-10 and March 14-16.
(AFP, 3/18/08)

2008 Mar 22, More than 500
African Union troops arrived on the Comoros island of Moheli to join
local forces massed for a military offensive to retake the rebel
island of Anjouan.
(AFP, 3/22/08)
2008 Mar 22, The population of
the Union of Comoros was about 840,000.
(Econ, 3/22/08, p.55)

2008 Mar 25, Troops from the
Indian Ocean archipelago nation of Comoros seized control of the
rebel island of Anjouan after a seaborne assault backed by the
African Union.
(Reuters, 3/25/08)

2008 Mar 28, Mohamed Bacar, the
rebel leader of the Comoros island of Anjouan, arrived in Reunion to
an uncertain future, two days after his ouster by Comoran and
African Union forces.
(AP, 3/28/08)

2008 Jun 15, The Comoros isle
of Anjouan went to the polls to elect a new president 3 months after
rebel leader Mohamed Bacar was ousted by an African Union military
force.
(AFP, 6/15/08)

2009 Jun 30, A Yemenia Airbus
310 jet with 153 people on board crashed into the Indian Ocean as it
tried to land during strong winds on the island nation of Comoros.
The passengers were on the last leg of a journey from Paris and
Marseilles to Comoros with a stop in Yemen to change planes. Bahia
Bakari (14), the only person to survive, was plucked from the sea
after clinging to wreckage for 13 hours. Investigators on Aug 28
retrieved the slightly damaged flight data recorder and 10 more
bodies from the Yemenia Airways flight. The voice recorder was
recovered on Aug 29.
(AP, 6/30/09)(SFC, 7/2/09, p.A3)(AP, 8/29/09)

2011 Aug 9, A Comorian shuttle
boat, the Madjiriha, sank killing 60 people off the coast of the
Indian Ocean island nation the Comoros.
(AP, 8/10/11)

2012 Jul 13, In the Comoros
archipelago at least seven people died and six people were missing
after a ship carrying illegal immigrants capsized overnight off the
Indian Ocean French overseas territory of Mayotte.
(AFP, 7/13/12)